EmptyMessage board »Message Board home »Sign-in or register to get started
Online now: 4 members: Crazylegs46, FireCrackerFun, Lujan, Rich Doney; 13 anonymousDiscussion: Western Nationals 50 Major predictions
| Posted | Discussion |
| Aug. 5 8BALLER 9 posts | Who does everyone think are the Favorites to win the 50 Major division at Sacramento? |
| Aug. 9 CallaVett Men's 50 61 posts | Any results in from Sacramento? |
| Aug. 9 CallaVett Men's 50 61 posts | Just heard Wolfpack took the 55 Major. |
| Aug. 9 Bruster55 Men's 60 109 posts | Any news on who won 50's AAA & Major. Thx |
| Aug. 9 badseed2b Men's 60 13 posts | Doerflinger from Washington went undefeated and beat Bad Seed to win the 50's Major |
| Aug. 9 curtiss Men's 50 32 posts | We won the 50 AAA Excessive Speed we were undefeated!!!! |
| Aug. 9 Bruster55 Men's 60 109 posts | Congrats Curtis.Thx Badseed2b sounds like you also had a really good weekend. Thx Jeff AZ Old School |
| Aug. 10 8BALLER 9 posts | badseed2b, Congrats on a Great tourney, You guys were a Class bunch of guys and fun to compete against. Good luck on the rest of your season. |
| Aug. 10 badseed2b Men's 60 13 posts | Thanks Jeff, hope to see you guys in Las Vegas. Thanks a bunch 8BALLER. It was good to be competitive at the next level. What team are you on? Good luck to you also. Congrats Curtis and Excessive Speed. I'm glad to see your team have success. |
| Aug. 10 swing for the fences Men's 50 1224 posts | congrat's Badseed on the great run... that was one hell of a Game with my Warrior team.. They scored 7 runs without an out to beat my team in the bottom of the open. After we scored 11 to take a 6 run lead.. Well done! |
| Aug. 10 Mr. Nick Men's 55 44 posts | Swing, that was a great game against your Warrior team. It is always a pleasure playing against the Warriors. Will we see you at the Hall of Fame tourney this weekend? |
| Aug. 10 swing for the fences Men's 50 1224 posts | No, we have decided to boycott this one... We get the sun field 3 years in a row.. Rather hit BP somewhere.. We added Medford to our tourney list instead... Tourney Director is never going to get our money to swing blind ever again.. |
| Aug. 10 8BALLER 9 posts | badseed2b, I played shortstop and hit 2nd for Doerflinger. Our team really enjoyed competing with you guys, U are a class bunch of Ballers, Hope to see you in Vegas. |
| Aug. 10 Mr. Nick Men's 55 44 posts | Swing, we have been lucky not getting the sun field. I just hope I don't have to pitch looking into the sun. Good luck in Medford. 8BALLER, I'm the pitcher for Bad Seed. Great hitting against us in the championship game. Yes we will be in Vegas. |
| Aug. 10 swing for the fences Men's 50 1224 posts | Mr, Nick.. Great job.. I'm the Centerfielder LCF for the Warriors.. Way to battle.. good luck at the Hall of fame! |
| Aug. 11 8BALLER 9 posts | Thank you Mr. Nick, Back at you on the Great hitting. Only next time i will cheat you more in the 5-6 Hole, You were killing us there! Lol |
| Aug. 11 Unchained44 4 posts | Overall, our team had a great time in Sacramento. However, the talk is that we also will not be back. For the love of common sense, we can not figure out who in their right mind would continue to pay the kind of money (and time commitment) we do to travel and play in a tournament where they schedule elimination games (or any games for that matter) on a field where the hitters simply cannot see the ball. Yes, both teams play in the same conditions -- but it makes a complete travesty of the game. Think it's just a player problem? Not even the umpire could see the ball -- until it dropped out of the glare at the last half-second and down toward the mat. The higher the pitch, the more impossible to see, and both pitchers took full advantage. The umpire admitted he could not see the height of the pitch -- but that he could tell when a pitch was too high because he "was timing it" from the point of release. Seriously, that is what he said. (In fairness, his advanced timing method did result in one illegal pitch call the entire game, despite both pitchers routinely abusing the limit.) He might as well have said that his Spidey senses tingled or he felt a disturbance in the Force to determine height violations for all the good his timing method did. Pardon the pun, but any field should be left dark during game times where the sun position renders skills most everyone has been developing for 30+ years into complete guesswork. Anyway, loved the tournament as a whole, but feel like no teams should be scheduled to play in conditions like that. |
| Aug. 11 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | Unchained44 ... We have a provision about the sun affecting play in the Rulebook at §6.16 on page 36 ... It provides for a short suspension of play when the position of the sun could affect the Pitcher's safety ... As stated in the rule, sun affecting the batter is not a safety issue and is not, in and of itself, the basis for a stoppage in play ... If the umpire cannot see the location of pitches, then yes of course, a short delay is in order ... But softball is an outdoor game, and sun potentially affecting a player's batting average is not a safety issue and does not justify a stoppage in play ... We are happy to move a game to an already open field, but we probably will not be creating "dead game slots" in a tournament just because the sun may be shining (which it does in most places, regardless of the sanctioning association or location) ... |
| Aug. 11 Unchained44 4 posts | Thank you, Mr. Staff for confirming what was already pretty obvious: That there is more interest in following some pre-set schedule rather than entertaining the possibility of working around one specific field for one (or maybe two) games during a very predictable time period every morning that makes one-half of the game a complete joke. I never intimated that it posed a safety issue to the batter, that it stems from players worried about their batting average or that it merits a "stoppage" in play. I was simply stating that, hey, if something makes a travesty out of one entire side of the game, and players of every team put in that position provide basically the same feedback of the situation, then maybe it might be something to consider. But maybe I am thinking out of the box (possibly because I couldn't see where it was). In the meantime, if you could point me toward rule provisions for umpires determining height legality by "timing" pitch trajectory when they can't see it for an entire game and the potential use of welding goggles in the batter's box, I would greatly appreciate it! Overall, from what I could see, it was a great tournament. |
| Aug. 11 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | Hilarious! ... Reminds me of an event a couple years back in Phoenix (an area known as "The Valley of the Sun") where there was an afternoon sun issue for batters and no open fields ... ONE of the two Managers told the Director that "It was unfair his team had to hit into the Sun and it was an advantage for the other team" ... Clouds weren't cycling in and out every half inning, so the Director bit and asked him why it was unfair ... His reply: "Well, they're from New Mexico, and they play in the sun all the time, but we're from Oregon, and we never see the sun!" ... The game of softball remains an outdoor game and the sun is an environmental fact ... Heck, this isn't a game with a 95 MPH fastball coming from a MLB pitcher in the sun of the mound and disappearing into the dark shadows of the stadium rim ... We'll accommodate reasonable changes when we can, which means when adjacent fields are available without undue disruption of the tournament as a whole ... But we're very unlikely to create dark holes covering 1:30 of clock time for a short term duration "issue" ... What we're talking about here is a few minutes, maybe even 20 or 30, until the sun continues to track across the sky and moves enough out of the home plate/pitching rubber alignment ... We will, however, take your anonymous suggestions "under advisement" ... |
| Aug. 11 deep14 102 posts | Hats off to excessive speed great job. See ya in Manteca 50 Shades |
| Aug. 11 Mr. Nick Men's 55 44 posts | 8Baller, thanks for the heads up. At age 61 I need every advantage I can get. Good luck the rest of the season. |
| Aug. 11 grd8sbnut Men's 50 20 posts | Badseed2b and Mr. Nick your team is a class act and very scrappy. it was a pleaser to stop by you guys and talk for a few minutes before we left the field. great group of guys you are. best of luck the rest of your season till Vegas. Doerflinger Pitcher.. |
| Aug. 11 badseed2b Men's 60 13 posts | hey Rich (swing for the fences) That was one hell of a game. I hoped a 5 run lead would hold up in the 7th but you guys hit the crap outta the ball and Nick served up a cookie to you and you crushed it in that 11 run open inning. We somehow pulled out a miracle inning and got the win against a powerful Warriors team. Over the years we've played you guys a few times since The Barons. We never could beat you guys, even when your team seemed a bit flat. The last time was in Lincoln and I recall you hitting a walk off HR to beat us there, your 3rd of the game. Anyways, I have to admit it felt good to break the curse. thanks for the good sportsmanship and for helping us to pick our game up a notch. hey Jeff (8baller) now I know you, great tourney by you and your team. you guys are a good hitting club and I hope to get some payback lol! good luck thru the rest of the season |
| Aug. 11 badseed2b Men's 60 13 posts | hey Doerflinger pitcher, thanks and same to you and your team. You guys have a really good team, a lot of skilled hitters and great defense. It was fun despite being on the losing end. Hope to meet up again. Best of luck to you guys in 2015 |
| Aug. 11 Unchained44 4 posts | Staff, glad you find mention of one specific issue and more than one mention (see Swing for the Fences' comment above) of teams deciding to skip this event in the future for the exact reason you are scoffing at to be so hilarious. That says a lot. The examples you cite are at one point utterly ridiculous (the one from Phoenix) and yet also show a complete misunderstanding of the actual playing conditions in Sacramento. No one is complaining about "a few minutes, maybe even 20 or 30" random cycling of the sun. We are not talking about a "short-term issue." We are talking about pretty much an entire game. There were swinging strikeouts -- not to mention barely hit flailing foul outs on strikes from the first through the sixth innings. Do you see that often in Major tournaments? So step back a moment from the condescending analysis that softball is an outdoor sport and the sun is an environmental fact. No one is complaining about spontaneous weather conditions. We're talking about one specific field that will give the exact same condition (barring clouds) every morning at the same time. If it's too difficult and problematic for you to leave that one field unscheduled for one early morning game slot, then so be it. Just say that instead of trying to minimize and downplay the effect that staring into the sun for six innings has on offense. Thanks for listening. |
| Aug. 11 SSUSA Staff 3493 posts | Unchained44 ... The sun being a component of an outdoor sport (softball) is apparently problematical for you ... The SSUSA Rules Committee meets annually at the SSUSA Convention, which is the ONLY time we make rules changes ... The good news is that this year it's in the West in Reno during the first week in December ... All Rules Committee sessions are open to the public membership and totally transparent ... If you would like your "issue" to be heard, you have three options: [1] Show up in person and make your case; [2] Send personal written snail mail correspondence to the Committee at the SSUSA Home Office; or [3] Send an identifiable email, meaning who you are, to the Rules Committee Chairwoman (donna@seniorsoftball.com) requesting her to place this on the list of potential Agenda items .. You will need the support of two members of the Committee (for a motion and a second) for consideration and seven votes (of the 13 members) thereafter to bring about any change on the rules ... Message Board commentary, due to its unregulated and anonymous nature, is totally disregarded for Rules Committee agenda consideration ... Maybe we'll see you in Reno or hear from you beforehand? ... In the meantime, the sun will continue to be a factor in this wonderful outdoor sport we are so passionate about ... |
| Aug. 11 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | Sun fields are a constant complaint and a serious one. My team does not not play in a couple of tournaments every year because of the number of sun fields and whether you are squinting into the sun to try and hit it or dangerously trying to field the ball, it is not really competitive softball but luck ball. You can bet as a pitcher, I love to have the sun directly behind me. Last time that happened my catcher pointed to the sun before each inning and I dropped it out of the sun. Struck out 6 or 7 or 8—why keep track on a joke game. And it isn't just for 20 minutes. On that field we were hitting blind for a full six innings. In the bottom of the sixth, we could finally see the ball a bit (and some of us were wearing welders glasses), and the other team didn't get a look until their top of the seventh. We were ahead 1 to nothing for 5 innings on a couple of fluke hits; a guy on the other team got the first legitimate hit—a home run!!! to tie the game; we went ahead 3 to 1 being able to see the ball in the 6th; and the other team got a couple of hits but no runs in the top of the 7th. For two major teams, that was a travesty as unchained44 said. It's a difficult problem. Avoiding a field for sun is tough to schedule. When it is dangerous, I think it should be a must…and not just a screen for a pitcher. The middle fielder, short, and second base all have safety issues with a hard hit ball. Never mind the outfielders who might not see the ball but are not likely to get killed trying to field it. The best solutions seems to just start all teams later in the morning and accept fewer teams in the tournament. Dealing with the sun issue at sunset is exactly the same problem, but by that time, most teams are willing to delay the game until the sun changes position because it only means getting home a bit later and doesn't throw the whole day's schedule off. |
| Aug. 11 swing for the fences Men's 50 1224 posts | thanks 2B for the kind words.. Hey Unchained 44,, it's not the Western we are boycotting, it's the NCSSA Hall of fame tourney.. three years in a row they put us on the Sun field while everyone else was playing on the other fields. last year we had two games in a row at 6pm and 7ish.. it is pathetic softball! I understand having one game during a tourney that is a sun game.. but we were getting them all the time at this event.. enough is enough, and I told our coach I'd rather be with my family then play in a pathetic game like a sun game! IMO, they should treat it like rain and I do think it's dangerous with batters swinging blindly,, I'm sure one of these games a bat will go flying because of a stupid swing.. IMO.. |
| Aug. 12 8BALLER 9 posts | Badseed2b, Thanks for the kind words, I felt there was a mutual respect for each others teams throughout the tourney. Dont know where you got my name as Jeff, My name is Tony, My friends call me T-Mac, Feel free to do the same. Great chatting with you and Mr. Nick, Great guys and a Great team. Best of luck at Nattys, Unless you run into Doerflinger! LOL |
| Aug. 12 jimperry19 69 posts | Can we get the final results from this tournament posted to the website? |
| Aug. 12 T3 10 posts | Congrats to BADSEED for your Great showing @ Western after getting moved up from AAA wish we could of been there to Battle you guys once again, just wasnt in the cards.. Senior Citizens Softball |
| Aug. 12 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | The sue is a double edged sword for both teame. Batters cant see the ball for great hits and dangerious for pitchers who can't see the ball coming at them. I've been in the sun many times and it isn't pleasant... Have complained to no avail except for in St. George where the game was delayed for about ten minutes. Never had a game delay in SSUSA for the sun or wind, and both can be bad. One remedy for sun is to wear welders glasses\goggles. They work. Wind, bring a kite...lol. |
| Aug. 12 Unchained44 4 posts | Yo, SSUSA Staff member: The sun being a component of an outdoor sport is not problematic for me -- no matter how many times you underline it or try to make it so. And who said anything about a rule change? I am merely suggesting that direct sun conditions on ONE field at the SAME TIME PERIOD EACH DAY that turn the game we are passionate about into a complete joke MIGHT warrant some consideration from the committee purely from a scheduling standpoint. On second thought, just forget it. |
| Aug. 12 DaveDowell Men's 70 4322 posts | As the author of the tournament schedules for all SSUSA administered events nationally, that's precisely what I intend to do ... But if you want to discuss it in an environment other than through anonymous keyboard courage style sniping, give the office a call and ask for me... Maybe we both may learn something useful ... |
| Aug. 12 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | Swing..... You should know by now that ncssa plays favorites with certain teams. Heck, if I remember right they aren't even using all the fields so I'd think sonething could have been changed at least for the am and sunset times not that they would be playing then. Used to be a fantasticassn, not so much these days imo. Too bad there isn't another assn in the valley other than the ASA for seniors in Fresno and on the coast. But even it could be much better. |
| Aug. 12 Bull33 Men's 50 7 posts | Yes it was a good tournament. The only issue I saw and this maybe an isolated issue is that we had a couple players who for some reason were left off our roster for this tournament because they could not make the Nor Cal tournament and were automatically dropped of the roster. But another one of our players who last qualified last year in Phoenix and hadn't played in any other SSUSA event this year was still on the roster. Made a lot of people not only our team shake their heads. Other than that played some quality teams winning and losing by a run here or there with the exception of our last game under the lights after a long day. See everyone in VEGAS!!! |
| Aug. 12 KGB Men's 50 4 posts | Excessive Speed, we look forward to playing you for the title in Vegas. Good luck to all teams playing. Signed Carolina Five-0 Raleigh, NC Greg Bonner |
| Aug. 12 swing for the fences Men's 50 1224 posts | Hey Taits, that may be true On NCSSA.. I don't know.. but I will say, if they had Favorites.. the North Cal Warriors should of been one of them. We participated more than any other major or major plus team the last three years...which means more of our $$$$$ in that sanction! So, when it comes to the sun fields.. they should of listen to us.. they never did.. so we will do something different .. Medford. If we don't get a guarantee in the future.. we will Boycott again! Tim Millete hates two day tourneys so he played in 40s tourney and stayed away from NCssa 50s last few years... there is always an alternative.. |
| Aug. 14 jpb28 9 posts | I play for Wilson & Sons Auto out of Boise Idaho, we lost the winners bracket final game due to Kamikaze protesting our right fielder had a 1st base glove on, it sucked to lose that way but what ya gonna do !! my question is we placed 3rd in the 55 AAA, Kamikaze played Quicksilver out of Oregon, we had to catch a plane...Who won ??? |
| Aug. 15 Dbax Men's 65 2101 posts | Look under the post, "More Western Nationals". |
